A judicial nominee who failed to answer basic questions about the Constitution during her confirmation hearing has withdrawn her nomination, according to Reuters.
Spokane County Superior Court Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren, whom President Joe Biden nominated in September 2022 to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, asked the White House not to resubmit her name for consideration after her nomination expired at the end of 2023, Reuters reported Tuesday. Bjelkengren came under fire after she could not answer Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy’s questions about what Articles 5 and 2 of the Constitution state during her Jan. 2023 confirmation hearing.
“I asked the president not to re-nominate me due to the uncertainty of my confirmation, and in order to advance the important work of the federal judiciary,” Bjelkengren told Reuters. “My hope is for the swift confirmation of the next nominee.”
Bjelkengren’s nomination was advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee on party lines in May but was not brought to the floor for a vote. Bjelkengren told Kennedy the answer was “not coming to mind at the moment” when asked what Article 5 of the Constitution does. “How ’bout Article 2?” Kennedy followed. “Neither is Article 2,” Bjelkengren said.
Another Biden nominee for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, Colleen Holland, also asked to withdraw her name, per Reuters. Biden announced her nomination in August 2023.
“This was a personal decision made after careful consideration,” Holland wrote in a statement to The Hill.
Biden announced six new judicial nominations on Wednesday.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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